Truth will be exposed and on full display at the CU Events Center this weekend.
Starting Thursday night, the University of Colorado men’s basketball team faces the Arizona school duo in the final two home games of the Pac-12 Conference regular season.
The Buffs have been as up and down as my car hitting a pothole on U.S. 36 driving by Will Vill.
Lately, though, for CU there have been three key road wins in five days, a resurgent offense and a glimmer of hope for Tad Boyle’s ninth 20-win season.
The Buffs have won a season-high five straight games overall.
Clearly someone in Boulder read our take on the team’s previous late-season slump.
But are these surging Buffaloes a bankable team when it comes to the betting window?
There are some strategies for in-state college basketball bettors to use down the home stretch.
Finally, the Buffs are back in Boulder
Thank goodness this home stretch is actually at home.
Arizona State comes calling first Thursday. And while the Sun Devils have been a bit of a disappointment with a 10-16 record, they have definitely been dangerous.
ASU took down third-ranked UCLA earlier this month and had a 24-point immolation of Oregon two weeks later.
Yet the Buffs clobbered ASU by 18 on Jan. 15 in Tempe.
Colorado’s online sportsbooks have the Buffs around a favorite Thursday night.
And given the history between the teams, laying the favorite may be a good idea.
The stats and the narratives align.
CU revelation K.J. Simpson is coming off a Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honor. The guard has scored in double figures in three straight games.
Pair that emergence with the senior heartbeat of forward Evan Battey, and you’ve got a potent addition to the regular starting lineup
Hold up … wait a minute
So yes, there’s optimism around CU.
No doubt.
The Buffs have been trending in the right direction with those five solid wins. They’ve scored an average of nearly 80 points a game and have won those five contests by an average of 15.8 points.
Dominant.
But look at the competition: A three-win Oregon State team (twice), along with Pac-12 bottom feeders Utah and Cal.
These are teams you are supposed to beat convincingly, and the Buffs did just that.
CU has owned ASU with three double-digit wins in their last four meetings. The Buffaloes have won seven of the last 10 head-to-head contests overall.
Expect it to continue Thursday night.
Those fuzzy feelings end Saturday.
Wildcats pouncing on a No. 1 seed
Even with mass-armpit-sweat producer/coach Sean Miller gone, Arizona hasn’t made bettors sweat in games against the Buffs.
They are 6-3 against CU since 2018, including a 21-point Tucson drubbing in January.
‘Zona is ranked second in the country this week. The Wildcats have the resume’ to lock up a No. 1 seed before the NCAA Tournament.
A flawless victory on the road in Boulder certainly can aid the cause. And the Wildcats know it.
They also know games in the People’s Republic haven’t been kind to them. Arizona has dropped four consecutive decisions on Sox Walseth Court.
And on Saturday, it will be Senior Night. ESPN2 will be in town to televise the proceedings.
An expected win against Arizona State and a monumental upset against Arizona would put the Buffs at the magical 20-win mark.
It also would be a testament to Boyle’s adept recovery in a season where CU has faced critical injuries and a youth movement.
It’s been a weird and wild season for Colorado.
Expect one more roller-coaster ride in Boulder this week.
